Wiltshire Jazz Academy: Workshop with Camilla George

Learn from visionary jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader and innovator, Camilla George

Join Wiltshire Jazz Academy for a one-off opportunity to play with inspiring guest artist Camilla George. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the UK jazz scene’s most vibrant and inspiring artists of the moment!

Who is it for
Young musicians aged 12–18 who love jazz, playing at grade 4+ standard or equivalent. All instruments are welcome.

Wiltshire Jazz Academy is an ensemble for young musicians to develop their jazz musicianship, improvisation and performance skills. We meet monthly on a Saturday morning and perform across the South West.

What to expect
The session will be led by Mike Daniels (Jazz Lead) and Camilla George. We will learn tunes from written notes and by ear, work together as a jazz ensemble and improvise. Sessions are friendly and we encourage all our players, at every stage of their musical journey.

Time
10am – 1pm

We invite parents/guardians/family to join us at the end of the session for an informal sharing performance from 12.45pm.

Cost
£20 (please contact us if cost is a barrier – we want our experiences to be accessible for everyone)

Play in our Youth Jazz Showcase!
We are hosting a Youth Jazz Showcase before Camilla George’s concert at WMC on Friday 22 May. If you take part in this workshop and attend a rehearsal session on Saturday 2 May, you could perform with us at this event. Save the date!

How to take part
Click ‘Book now’ to book your space by Wednesday 15 April. If you’ve not attended Wiltshire Jazz Academy before, we’ll send you a registration form to complete with more details about you and your playing.

More about Camilla George
Her strong cultural roots and love of fusing African and Western Music has informed her own unique style, a key reason why she is a firm fixture on the new London Jazz scene, alongside peers such as Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings. Her music is a hypnotising blend of Afrofuturism, hip hop and jazz, with a politically minded subtext that has a powerful connection to her Nigerian identity, lineage and heritage, reflecting African history, culture and slavery.

Camilla studied with many jazz greats such as saxophone giant, Jean Toussaint (of Art Blakey fame), Julian Siegal and Martin Speake at Trinity College of Music where she gained a Masters in Jazz Performance, as well as being awarded The Archer Scholarship for Outstanding Performance in 2011. In 2014, Camilla formed her own critically acclaimed project showcasing the stars of the new UK Jazz Scene.

Dubbed “The Golden Girl of Jazz” by The Evening Standard, Camilla’s most recent album, ‘Ibio Ibio’, is a tribute to her tribe the Ibibio people of South Eastern Coastal Nigeria. The album features an incredible lineup, including Daniel Casimir, Sarah Tandy, Winton Clifford, Renato Paris, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Rosie Turton, Shirley Tetteh, hip hop drummer, Daru Jones, Birmingham based rapper, Lady Sanity and Sam Jones. Camilla was nominated for a Jazz FM award for Best Instrumentalist 2019, and in 2023 won ‘Best Jazz Act’ at the Urban Music Awards. Recent notable performances include North Sea Jazz Festival, Jazz a Vienne, EFG London Jazz Festival, Jazz In The Park Romania, Brosella and Jazz Onze Lausanne.